Sunday, August 16, 2009

Today we brewed another one of my Belgian Tripels, the first of three beers that will be served at Matt & Heidi's wedding. It's my 3rd time brewing it, and by making some very subtle changes, hopefully will maximize the quality.

The first batch turned out on target and fantastic. The 'repeat' was good, but a bit "hot" in alcohol, accidentally over-hopped (by .5 oz.), a touch too dry with a hint of cidery flavors coming through.

In this 3-peat batch, some adjustments I made were: 1. lower the alcohol a half a point 2. raise the mash temp a couple degrees for more maltiness/residuals 3. mellow the hops a tad 4. use less yeast to encourage a longer lag time and more yeast reproduction

The brewday was a big success, and we finished in record time. The mash sat nicely at 152°F. We chose the freshest hops, and sticking with straight Saaz in the finish. The gravity points throughout the day were great, with a malt-only OG sitting perfectly at 1.074.

Today we saw superb hot break material in the boil and continued protein coagulation after the cold break when chilling. The wort smelled and tasted clean, sweet and smooth in hops. As long as the fermentation temperatures stay on the low end (68-70°F), this Trappist style ale should turn out fantastic.

It was great having Matt over for a 6am start time, helping to brew his matrimony ale. While it was early & quiet in the house, we got into some meaningful conversation, a time & experience I value greatly. We also finished in what I believe is close to record time. Though the hopping is not too complex, he did help to make the final decisions on hop varieties and additions. Our friend Ryan will help make the Porter this Friday, and we all will be back in the kitchen on the 28th to brew a mega 13 gallon batch of Small Beer.